Storage battery



`Julie 11, 1940` c. E. Pr-:ARsoN STORAGE BATTERY' Filed Dec. 7, 1937INYENTOR, CARL f.' Pin/P50# BY A TORNEYI Patented June l1,4 A1940 iUNlTEomsTAT-Es STORAGE BATTERY can E. Pearson, cleveland Heights, ohio,as-

signor to Willard Storage Battery Company, i Cleveland, Ohio, acorporation of West Virginia 4Application December 7, 1937, Serial No.178,554

' z claims. (cli 13a-178') This invention relates to storage batteriesand has particular reference to improvements in the venting means forthe various battery cells.

Asis well known, each cell of a battery is providedwith a hollow ventplug whichis screwed into the coverv and is provided with an opening`through which the evolved gases are vented from the cell. As is alsowell known, the vent plug is removed when it is desired toadd water orelectrolyte to the battery. Although the vent opening in the vent plugis of relatively small size, it has been found that when the battery isused on machines employed in dusty regions, such as on farm tractors,the top of the battery becomes covl5` ered with dust and thatconsiderable dust seeps through the vent openings into the cells. It hasalso been discovered that if batteries are submerged in water thebattery will become lilled with water which is' often muddy particularlyif the batteries are submerged under flood waters. r,In both cases mudcollects in the bottom of the cells, with the result that the efficiencyof the battery is greatly decreased and sometimes the batteryisdestroyedby short-circuiting of the l plates. In any eventg'the coversmust be, removed and the mud and silt taken from the, Cells and thebattery iilled with fresh electrolyte.

` Theabove disadvantages are overcome very l eectively by the presentinvention which com- `30 prises the application to the vent plugs oftubes of rubber or equivalent yieldable materialwhich are so formed asto permit the escape of gas from' the cells Ybut preclude the entranceof water, mud, dust, and the like, and which, though liexible, are ofsufficient inherentv strength to resist without collapsing the pressureincident to immersion un- .der several feet of water. V- .4 1 Theinvention maybe further briefiy summarized as consisting in certainnovel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of`parts which will be described in the specication and set forth in theappended claims. In the accompanying sheet of drawings,

Fig. 1 is a, perspective view of the upper part oi? a battery equippedwith one embodiment of my invention; f

-.Fis". 2 is a detached view of one of the vent plugs with a tubeconnected therewithin the' mannerv illustrated in Fig. l, parts being insection;

no Fig. Bis a plan view of the same;

Fig-4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing another embodiment of theinvention; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to 1515.2 showing.m modifications in themeans for attaching the :se tubes to the vent plugs. 'l

.to be described.

. plugs. n

used if the batteries are employed'in areas or w1t h equipment 'such as4buoys where the battery 1s 35` `Referring now to the drawing, I0represents a battery which may have any number of )cells, a three-cellbattery being here shown', the covers of the cells being indicated atIl. `Extending 'through the covers are. the usual-terminal posts ."5

into a flanged opening of the cover. All the parts 10` so far describedmay be of usual or 'standard con struction aside from the modificationrequired in the Vent plugs to receive the tubular extensions In carryingout the present invention, each cell l5 is provided with av special, orimproved one-way valve which permits the escape Aof gas butprecludes theentrance of air', water, dust, mud and the like. These one-way -valvesare preferably in the form ofrlexible tubesof rubber or equivalent 20'mally closed but which ywill open to permit the 25 escape of gas and aresubstantially sealed against :the entrance of. air, water, dustand,thelike. j Preferably these tubes communicate with the cells through` theventl plugs to which they are suita' bly attached. In some instances,the tubes may 30 extend horizontallyover the cells. and in otherinstances they may project vertically from the vent 'Ihe formerarrangement is preferably likely to be submerged in water or where thereis only limited spaceV above the battery. The upf right tubes may bevemployed to advantage if the battery is to be used in areas where thicklayers of dust may accumulate on the battery,inwhi ch case the tubesprevent the plugging of the vent Aopenings and the consequent rise ofpressure the cells. l

In Figs. 1, 2, andv 3., wherein the horizontal arg rangement of thetubes is shown, the tubes, which 45 are illustrated at l5, are tightlyfitted onto the ends of L-shaped nipples I6 which are preferably screwedinto threaded openings each disposed centrally of the top ofv the ventplug where the vent opening is generally provided, in which case theusual vent opening is enlarged and its inner Wall threaded -toaccommodate the nipple. The

outer or` free end of the nipple is grooved to provide tightengagementuwithl the tube which is tted thereover and may also becemented in mi4 place.v The outer or free end of each tube is closedcollapsing under predetermined pressure, such as pressure incident toimmersion under water of predetermined depth generally several feet.`

In Figs. 4, 5,'and 6, upright tubes. here designated I5a, are employed.These tubes are leach provided between their ends with a slit I8, andveach has its outer end closed in the manner pren viously described.These tubes may be connected to the vent plugs by nipples or hollowstems or the equivalent constituting extensions of the top of the plugs.For example, in Fig. 5 the lower end of the tube is fitted onto theround or enlarged upper end of a hollow stem I9 which is screwed intothe top of the vent plug I4. In Fig. 6 the tube is tightly fitted ontothe enlarged end of a hollow stem 20 formed integral with the top of thevent plug. Other ways of attaching the tubes to the vent plugs may beemployed, but the means illustrated have proved in practice to be veryeffective and add little to the cost of the vent plugs.

While I have shown several embodiments of the invention, I do not desireto be confined to the precise details shown but aim in my claims tocover all modications which do not involve a.

departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A storage battery having a removable vent .plug and ller cap forventing and filling purposes, said plug'having a nipple of a diametersmaller than that of the plug extending from its upper surface, anda-exible tube mounted at one end on said nipple, said tube having adiameter which is a'small fraction of its length and being free at itsouter end and closed except. 'for a slit in its side, and said tubecommunicating with the interior of the battery through said nipple,whereby the plug lmay be removed for testing theelectrolyte or addingliquid thereto without disturbing the mounting ol the tube thereon.

2. A storage battery having a removable vent plug andller cap forventing and lling purposes, said plug having a hollow b ody with anHaving thus described my invention, I claim:

externally threaded shank adapted to fit a threaded opening in a Vcellcover of the battery,`

and having a head of a diameter larger than the shankproviding ahand-hold lying above the cell cover in the operative position of theplug, a

from the nipple and being closed except for'a A slit which is normallyclosed but opens to permit egress of gas.

CARL E. PEARSON.

